A newly-released French stamp caused controversy on Bastille Day (July 14), after its designer revealed it was inspired by a member of the radical feminist group Femen.
 Ciappa believes that Marianne would have been a member of Femen if they had been established at the time of the French revolution |
The stamp shows Marianne, France's revolutionary symbol, and was unveiled by President Francois Hollande on the country's national day.
However, designer Olivier Ciappa posted on Twitter: "For all those who ask who the model was for Marianne, it's a mix of several women, but particularly Inna Shevchenko."
Shevchenko is a Ukrainian model who has recently been granted political asylum in France, having staged several high-profile topless protests.
The right-wing Christian Democratic Party is now calling for a boycott of the new stamp.
However, Marianne is always represented bare-breasted and, as Ciappa points out, "would probably have been a Femen in 1789 (the French revolution) because she fought for the Republic's values - liberty, equality and fraternity."
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